Letters
by cautiousAlbatross
Summary: John is in love with his pen pal, Dave.


Your name is John Egbert, and you think you're in love with your penpal.

His name is Dave Strider, from Texas, and he lives with his brother. In every picture he sends you, he's wearing those sunglasses you bought him for his thirteenth birthday. He writes you poetry, too. He claims they're raps, but they look more like poems to you.

You keep all his letters in a special box on your desk, and you read them when you're sad. It makes you feel like you're talking to him, and that cheers you up, even though you're not. The way he writes is so completely, uniquely him – red ink and no punctuation. Sometimes you think you're reading part of him.

Occasionally, you'll call each other, when you can afford it, and you'll get to hear his voice. His thick accent makes you smile, and you always try to make him laugh. You fail more often than not, but every success makes you glow inside. You love his laugh. You love his stupid accent and the stupid things he says. You love the way he always tries to play it cool.

Every day, you check the mail for another letter from him, and every time you find one, it makes your day. You trace the lines of the letters and wonder what he looked like writing it. You wonder what he was thinking. You read and re-read the letter til you know it by heart, then stow it away in your little box.

You spend far more time writing your letters than you do on any of your homework. You write and re-write them until they're perfect, drafting them in pencil first then writing them out in blue ink on the nicest paper you have, in your very best cursive. You kiss the envelope after you seal it, and stamp it with a little green slime. You've done that ever since your dad bought you the stamp, and it's become a little tradition.

On your sixteenth birthday, along with your birthday present, you receive a letter from Dave that you think might just change your life. It goes like this:

_hey john_

_so i was thinking that maybe youd like to come visit or something like maybe in the summer i mean bros cool with it so i guess you should ask your dad if you want._

_anyway if you want to do this just talk to your dad and get him to call bro and they can arrange everything. but itll be totally sick you should come here itd be really great and wed get to talk to each other and hang out and everything._

_so anyway i guess just let me know._

_oh and happy birthday too._

_dave _

You smile as you read it. You start writing your reply immediately, not even bothering to draft it out first.

_dear dave,_

_thank you for the birthday __press__ present it was awesome! you're the best!_

_i'd love to come and stay with you that sounds really great! i mean i have to ask my dad but other__ways__wise i'm there! anyway i'll get him to call your bro and talk about it!_

_love john :)_

You don't realise you'd written "love" until you've sealed and posted it, and by then, it's too late to change it. You sit on your bed, worrying about how he'll interpret it and waiting for your dad to get home. You can't believe you might actually get the chance to see Dave in person. It feels like a dream.

When your dad finally gets home, you're jumping up and down as you tell him. He agrees to call Dave's bro and discuss it. You stand next to the phone with a hopeful expression for the entire phone call, looking pleadingly up at your dad. Finally, he hangs up, and tells you you're going to visit Dave for a month in August. You literally jump for joy. August can't come soon enough.

You don't wait for Dave to reply, but write him another letter immediately.

_dave – dad says i can come! your bro probably already told you but i can come i can come i can come! - john_

You draw a huge smiley face on the back, and post it straight away.

The four days you have to wait for a reply are torture. You check the mail every hour, even though you know what times the postman comes, and mope around the house. When it finally arrives, you nearly tear it trying to open it as quickly as possible.

_john_

_whoa two letters at once i sure am mr popular at the moment. careful you dont send too many or youll drown me in letters. anyway bro told me your dads cool with it and then your letter confirmed it so thats great i mean u guess ill see you in august._

_but really its the most awesome thing and im genuinely excited and its going to be really cool._

_anyway ive got to go do some stuff._

_dave_

You grin as you read it, and go to start writing your next letter. Somehow, you think you're going to write a lot of letters before August comes.

By the time you're starting to pack for Texas, you and Dave have made extensive plans by letter. Most of these plans include hanging out in his apartment and playing video games, because, in his words, "its hot as a fucking furnace" outside.

You start writing a letter to him on the plane, even though you're flying towards him, and you won't get a chance to send it. You think maybe you can give it to him as a joke. You wonder whether he'll think it's funny, or just lame. You end up screwing it up and throwing it under the seat in front of you. You fidget nervously for the rest of the flight, irritating the man next to you.

Finally, the plane lands. You have to wait for what feels like an eternity to collect your baggage, but finally you're out, and searching for Dave. He spots you first, and waves at you. You grin when you see he's wearing the sunglasses you gave him.

"Dave!" you shout, running over to him, "Dave!"

"Hey, John," he says, as soon as you're close enough to hear him.

You grab him in a hug, your face squished into his shoulder, and nearly knock him over.

"Careful," he says, wrapping his arms around you.

"Sorry," you say, pulling away slightly and looking up at his face, "It's so great to see you in person!"

You think he looks even better in the flesh. You don't want to admit how much you want to kiss him right now. Behind Dave, his bro is watching you, a slight smile on his face.

"It's great to see you too," Dave says, grinning, "You're shorter than I thought you'd be."

"Hey! I'm not short!"

"Short-er."

"Shut up," you say, headbutting his chest.

He laughs. You think it sounds even better in person.

"You're still wearing those sunglasses!" you say, reaching up to tap the right lens.

"Never take them off," he replies, brushing your hand away.

"Liar. You can't sleep in them!"

He laughs again. You can feel the vibrations against your chest, and you realise you're probably hugging him too tightly, but you don't want to let go.

"Hey," you whisper, suddenly leaning in close and going up on your tiptoes, "I still have all your letters."

"I've got all yours too," he says, leaning down so he can whisper in your ear.

You grin.

"You're even better than I thought you'd be," you whisper, your mouth right next to his ear.

"I thought you thought I was the best thing since sliced bread."

"You're better."

He laughs. You pull away a little, so you can look at his face, and think you should probably kiss him now. You wonder whether you're brave enough.

You don't have to be. He leans in and kisses you, and you kiss him back. It's wonderful and perfect, like a scene from one of those movies you love so much. You imagine everyone watching you, united at last, and think it's probably the most romantic thing they're ever seen. You always thought airports were romantic. All those happy couples, reuniting.

Most of the people watching are actually slightly shocked. They look away and move on, as busy as everyone always seems to be in an airport. Only Dave's bro keeps watching, a slight smile on his face. You think of all the letters you sent, and all the letters you received, and how they were all leading up to this, and you think they're the most important letters in history. They're the most important letters ever.


End file.
